Alternative Forms In Theatre Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Alternative Forms In Theatre - Case Study Example The theatre provides an exciting opportunity to watch stories and situations as if they were real life, showing us the truth of our nature. For as long as humankind exists, theatre will always take on an important function within its cultures (Frazier 89). Through theatre, a culture expresses itself, reflects its society, and displays its individuality. It invites people to experience other cultures (Brown 192). Nevertheless, the question at hand is whether theatre will have a role in the society of the future, where cinema, digital television, and computers will continue to expand and grow. The answer to this question is yes. Theatre will only be a fraction in a solid media industry. Theatre on the other hand, and its contents may take on a larger dimension, but we receive it directly in flesh and blood - one to one. The magical atmosphere between an actor and spectator who are constantly aware of each other and the theatre's level of engagement is fundamentally more human and far more intimate. Theatre will survive because of its greatness, it is not just a performance. It is the mixture of the courage of its creators and the hopes and expectations of the audience. Theatre draws its reason for existence from its strength and diversion, its human contact, its passion, its energy and its excitement. This "flesh and blood" experience of the theatre contributes to the concept of "performed id entities" within the actual theoretical performance (Flannery 86). In A Streetcar Named Desire the audience experiences the performed identities of males and females in the culture of the time. In The Emperor Jones, the audience is brought into the performed identity of the emperor as a man who is corrupted by power, and thus corrupts himself. By taking a close look at the theatrical performances, we can see how the personal identities are demonstrated in each of the main characters; Blanche and the emperor.Good drama is built on conflict of some kind -- an opposition of forces or desires that must be resolved by the end of the story. When developing "performed identities" this is certainly true. A Streetcar Named Desire employs exactly that. An opposition of forces, and desire, all of which must come to some sort of resolution or conclusion at the end spurns on the performed identies of the characters. The way the theatre presents this drama enlightens the audience regarding the pe rformed identities of the main character, Blanche. The recent production of this play did a fantastic job of introducing the audience to the conflicts and performed identities at the start of the play. The first scene had the actors presenting, with very realistic emotion, elements of which add to the drama of the play through the performed identities of the characters. The acting helped to enforce the concepts of the performed identities through the theatrical presentation of things as Stella being pregnant, Blanche moving in with Stanley & Stella, and Stanley's distrust for Blanche.The performed identities are further presented through the production and presentation of the actors as the items in the play continually progress. The actors and actresses do a fantastic job of enforcing the emotional concepts behind the play, and focusing the performed identity concept mostly on Blanche as the struggling female. The emotional presentation of